DEATH PENALTY TRIAL GETS NEW JUDGE

The judge presiding over what is expected to be the longest and most expensive criminal trial in the history of San Diego courts has been replaced for medical reasons and a new judge appointed just a week into the complicated case.

Court officials said that veteran Superior Court Judge John Einhorn will not be able to continue in the death penalty trial of Jorge Rojas Lopez and Juan Estrada Gonzalez. On Monday, Superior Court Judge David M. Rubin was appointed to take his place. The trial is scheduled to resume Tuesday.

Einhorn went home sick March 12 after a half-day of opening statements. On Friday, the court said he would be unable to continue.

Rojas and Estrada, both 33, are charged with leading a violent drug-trafficking gang called “Los Palillos,” which means “toothpicks” in Spanish. The group is accused of using murder, kidnappings and assaults as part of its illegal drug smuggling activities. Rojas is charged with participating in nine murders and Estrada with six.

Both are serving sentences of life in prison without parole for previous convictions.

It took two months to select a jury for their current trial, expected to last nine months to a year and cost in excess of $1 million. Prosecutor Mark Amador said he intends to call 250 witnesses.

The trial got off to a rocky start, with one juror dismissed before Amador could begin his opening statements because she said she could not be fair to prosecutors. That reduced the panel, with alternate jurors, to 17.

Amador got through about two hours of a planned two-day opening statement before Einhorn had to go home ill.